


Order of Nox

by ChaosWorld



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fix-It, POV Alternating, POV Harry Potter, POV Hermione Granger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-01-26 21:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12567056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaosWorld/pseuds/ChaosWorld
Summary: Harry reappears with Cedric's body. Looking back over the past four years, Hermione realizes that this could so easily have been prevented, if only adults were not so thoroughly and consistently useless.





	1. Hermione's decision

Hermione flopped into bed and sighed. The chaos that had arisen when Harry suddenly reappeared with Cedric's dead body three days ago had yet to die down. Harry announcing Voldemort's return, Dumbledore believing him, Fudge calling Harry a delusional liar (a contradiction, either Harry believes what he's saying or he doesn't...) and accusing Dumbledore of trying to usurp him. The offial ministry statement saying Voldemort had not returned, but failing to explain Cedric's death...

Hermione rubbed her temples. It was all a mess. It could have been stopped. All they had to do was say Harry should not have been entered at all, and exempt him. They didn't even say  _why_ exactly Harry couldn't just not compete. There was no explanation as to what would happen if he didn't. Dumbledore should have been able to do something. He could surely have broken any enchantment forcing Harry to compete. 

Then she realized for the first time the true scope of Dumbledore's failure. In their first year, Harry had said it he thought Dumbledore might have  _meant_ for Harry to face Voldemort. She'd thought it ridiculous then, but now... the only truly difficult obstacle had been Snape's riddle. The chessboard was moderately challenging at best, and you needed better than that against Voldemort. Dumbledore had been a teacher when Voldemort himself opened the chamber of secrets, so how could he not know exactly what the problem was when Ginny was forced to do the same? He ought to have at least closed the school. She, Harry, and Ron had put the clues together and even found the entrance to the chamber. How could Dumbledore not have figured  _any_ of it out?

And then, if Harry was to be believed (and he was), Dumbledore had left Harry with his relatives without checking on him once for ten years. Harry had been at their mercy all that time, and no one had told him a thing.

Thinking about it, Hermione realized it wasn't just Dumbledore, though he was certainly the worst offender. Professor McGonagall had brushed them off in their first year, even though the fact that three eleven year olds knew about the philosopher's stone should have been a serious warning sign. Fudge, so self absorbed and afraid of the truth he'd convinced himself Dumbledore wanted his job. The entire ministry was useless, really. The entire wizarding world even. Do any of them know how to think for themselves, even? They would believe anything if it came from a trusted source, those being ministry officials, the daily prophet, and, though perhaps not anymore, Dumbledore. It seemed most of the populace were confidently following the ministry and paper, loving or hating Harry on command. They all followed the authorities, but it was clear that the authorities could not be trusted. Not even Dumbledore. Oh, he would do  _something_ , and probably something important. In the meantime, he would leave everyone else in the dark, not have a plan b, and expect everyone to go along.

Certainly, many people  _would_ go along.

But not Hermione.

 


	2. If you want something done right, do it yourself

Harry and Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express. Hermione led the way, checking compartments until she found one that was empty.

"Hermione, what's so important? Where's Ron?" Harry pressed.

"Ron is wrangling his siblings, I'll explain once they're all here." Hermione replied. "Listen, if all that noise out there isn't the twins, I'll eat a hippogriff."

Sure enough, a moment later, the four redheads burst through the compartment door.

"Sorry if you wanted secrecy." said Fred.

"But we had to hex a few Slytherins on the way." Continued George.

"Hogwarts' chief mischief makers at your service." They said, bowing in unison.

Hermione stared at them. "Have you two read The Hobbit?" She inquired.

"The what?"

"Muggle book." Hermione sighed. "But that's not important. Sit down, all of you."

Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny seated themselves and looked at Hermione expectantly.

"In light of recent events, I have come to some conclusions." She began. Several eyebrows were raised. She ignored them. "First and most obvious, war is inevitable. Second and equally obvious, the ministry is useless." They all knew this; Hermione's audience was more interested in the less obvious conclusions. "And finally, as much as we may want to, we cannot count on Dumbledore."

The compartment fell silent for a moment. Finally, Harry broke the silence.

"You, uhh, you may need to explain that one a bit, Hermione."

"That's fair." She conceded. "Just think for a moment- nobody ever explained to you why you had to compete, beyond 'because the magic cup said so'. They didn't say what would happen if you refused, and honestly I bet they don't know. Even if does something horrible to compel you to compete, Dumbledore could have found a way around it. If he personally couldn't, he knows someone who could. Any enchantment can be undone, and considering the risks involved in the tasks, every measure should have been taken to get you out. But that didn't happen. If you hadn't competed, Voldemort- don't make that face, Ron- wouldn't have set his trap, and Cedric would still be alive." She paused to take a breath.

"Well, yeah, but, that's only one mistake, he's only hum-"

"And, remember when you said you thought Dumbledore wanted you to confront Voldemort over the stone? I think you were right. Just think of the 'protections' he put on it! Fluffy, to deter the average curious student, the mirror to stop a theif from actually taking it, and what else? Devil's snare, sure it can kill you if you don't know what you're doing, but it's covered in first year herbology! The flying keys were nothing to your seeker skills, Harry! Seeing how Dumbledore knows everything that goes on here, it wouldn't shock me if he knew how good Ron is at chess. I bet he knew that potion riddle wasn't super difficult, it's just like I said then, most wizards don't bother with logic. All we needed was for Hagrid to let slip how to get past Fluffy. The rest was simple"

That gave Harry pause. He couldn't deny the truth in her words, but he clearly didn't want admit Dumbledore's flaws- or worse, questionable intentions.

Hermione continued. "And remember, the whole chamber of secrets thing? Dumbledore was teaching here when it was first opened! How could he not put enough pieces together to at  _least_ close the school? We actually found out what was in there, found the entrance, and killed it!"

The occupants of the compartment looked slightly uncomfortable. Hermione pressed on.

"And Harry, he left you with your aunt and uncle for ten years with no communication. Don't tell me you think  _that_ was a good idea."

Harry looked at her. "Are you saying he's not on our side?"

Hermione chewed her lip slightly. "No." She replied. "I'm saying that he has a plan, and has probably had it for a long time, that is only focused on the end result but has high potential for collateral damage. He's thinking long term, and ignoring the very real immediate consequences of his action or inaction. He's also not going to tell anyone what the plan is, but will leave just enough clues for you to complete the next step. He's probably counting on being right about some things that he really can't be sure of. And he doesn't have a backup plan. He's too confident for that."

"And you think you could do better?" Fred challenged.

"If Dumbledore told me everything he knows? Definitely. That's the problem, he doesn't tell anyone more than they need to know to complete the next step. Since his bizarre games have finally gotten someone  _killed_ , it may be time to try a method that's more... considerate of other people's lives."

"Well, with what you've got, what are you thinking?" George asked.

"For starters, I expect the ministry will interfere with Hogwarts next year." Hermione replied. "For all we know, Fudge thinks Dumbledore will raise an army against him or something. There will probably be heavy propaganda, smear campaigns against both Dumbledore and Harry, and they will use their influence to prevent Dumbledore from convincing anyone of the truth."

Hermione took six pieces of parchment from her bag. "We will have to organize with other students. Spread the truth. Learn to duel so we don't all die when war breaks out. And for now, keep Harry in the loop." She gave a piece of parchment to each person in the cabin.

"Tap it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good'."

Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were intrigued. They and Ginny did as requested. Instantly, words appeared on the pages: 

_Hermione: And that is how you turn them on! They can be erased by tapping with your wand and saying 'mischief managed'. While on, you can write on them and the words will appear at the top of the page._

They practiced writing on the pages. Fred and George discreetly swapped pages, but to their dismay, the parchment still correctly identified them.

"Hermione," Fred said in amazement, "You just made owls obsolete!"

"Hardly." Hermione snorted. "There's no privacy on these, and you can only send to someone who has one. It's just more convenient for us." She looked at Harry. "You, me, Ginny, and Ron, will want to leave ours on, since we can't use magic. If any of us finds out anything important, we can send it to you instantly. But only for important things, because I haven't figured out how to make these these scroll back to older messages."

"You're still a genius."

"Thanks."


	3. Harry Potter Can't Have a Normal Summer

Harry was very glad for Hermione's invention over the next two weeks. Dumbledore had forbidden his friends from writing to him, so the enchanted pages were his only contact with the magical world. Every day, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, And Hermione sent him information. They were at a safe house hidden under the fidelius charm, where Dumbledore was restarting an organization called the Order of the Phoenix. The Order of the Phoenix had been formed in the first war to fight Voldemort, and Dumbledore was now contacting former members in preparation for what was to come.

Still, Harry was restless. Dumbledore was intentionally trying to keep him in the dark. He didn't want to follow Dumbledore anymore, but what else could he do when Dumbledore refused to tell him anything?

Hermione. He could trust Hermione. She would come up with something. She'd saved his life many times already. She could figure out some of the things Dumbledore wasn't telling him.

Harry shook his head. He couldn't change the future right now; best to find out all he could in the meantime. He reached over to his enchanted parchment to see if there was anything new.

There was.

> _Hermione: My prediction was correct. The ministry just passed a new decree that lets them appoint a teacher if the headmaster can't find one. Dumbledore can't get anyone to teach defence against the dark arts. Fudge will send someone devoted to him to teach it. Don't count on learning anything in that class._

So the ministry really was trying to directly interfere. As much as Dumbledore shouldn't be trusted, at least he was on Harry's side. But Fudge would be sure to get rid of Dumbledore if he had a chance. There would probably be more decrees eventually, giving the ministry more and more power. Hermione had said that there were sure to be death eaters infiltrating the ministry. This couldn't be going anywhere good.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his uncle Vernon pounding up the stairs. Harry stowed away the parchment. His uncle sounded like he was in a foul mood, so Harry tucked his wand into his pocket and slipped out of the house.

* * *

 

Harry was at the park, sitting on the only swing that his cousin and his gang hadn't yet destroyed. The sun was just beginning to set, and it cast long shadows across the ground. He was breathing in the cool air when he became aware of the sound of voices echoing from a block away. As they drew nearer, Harry realized that it was his cousin and his gang. He should've known just by how loud they were.

It was just occurring to Harry that he should leave before they got there, but then they came around the corner and once they'd seen him there was no point to leaving. They would just follow him if he did. Harry took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

Fortunately, Dudley's friends had left, taking a side street, leaving just Dudley and Harry. Still unpleasant, but Dudley could be threatened with a wand. Or outrun.

"Hey, Duddykins." Harry called as his cousin approached. "Been beating up another ten year old?"

"None of your business." He shot back. "And don't call me that."

Harry got up off the swing and joined Dudley on the street. He'd be in trouble if he was out later than his cousin.

They walked in silence for a while, content to ignore each other. Then, Harry became aware that the air around them was cooler than it ought to be. He could feel the temperature dropping around, no, behind them.

"Dudley, do you feel that?" He whispered.

"Do I feel what?" Dudley replied.

"It's getting cold."

"So what?"

Then, Harry felt the dread, the despair creeping into him, and he knew what was happening. Somehow, in this unassuming muggle neighbourhood, there were dementors. He gripped his wand.

"Dudley, we have to run. There are dementors here."

"W-what's a dem-mentor?" Dudley asked, his teeth beginning to chatter.

"They feed off of happiness and if they catch you, they suck out your soul. Now run!"

Fortunately, that scared Dudley enough for him to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, the dementors were so close now that they were in total darkness. There was no way around it, he would have to use magic. Harry drew his wand. "Lumos."

Dudley looked warily at his wand, but seeing the expression on Harry's face he knew he didn't stand a chance alone. They went faster.

They took a shortcut through an alley, but to his horror, Harry saw a dementor at the other end. He grabbed Dudley by the arm and pulled him back the other way, but that way was blocked by a second dementor. They were trapped.

Harry drew in a deep breath and tried to think of a happy memory. But none came to him. All he could think of was that here he was, alone with nobody but his cousin, with a fate worse than death rapidly approaching him. And Dumbledore had left him here, on purpose, for some reason that he refused to tell anybody, as part of some bizarre plan that was going to get people killed, but he didn't even have the decency to tell Harry what he was planning. Harry, who all his plans revolved around. Harry, his pawn.

Rage coursed through Harry. He was not going to let this happen. He had to make it out of this. He raised his wand.

"Expecto patronum!"

If he hadn't been too angry to feel anything else, Harry would have been surprised to see blood red light burst from his wand. The colour made his otherwise familiar stag look threatening as it charged down the nearest dementor. When it returned to Harry, he turned around to direct it to the other end of the alley.

There he saw the second dementor swooping down upon Dudley, who was cowering against the wall. Just as it was reaching up to pull back it's hood, the stag collided with it. The dementor was knocked flying backwards, and the stag vanished.  
Breathing heavily, Harry walked over to his cousin. The air was becoming warm again, and the sky was filled with the colours of the sunset. Dudley groaned.

"Dudley, get up. We're almost there. The dementors are gone now."

Dudley did not move.

Harry grabbed his cousin under the arms and lifted. To his relief, Dudley's legs straitened and held his weight. He was still shaky, so Harry pulled his arm over his shoulder.

"Let's go home, Dudley."


	4. No Listen, I Can Explain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I haven’t abandoned this story. Procrastination got me again.

Dudley may have been on a diet for the last year, but he was still significantly larger than Harry. By the time he’d dragged his cousin to their back door, it was dark out and Harry was exhausted. He tried to open it, but fumbled the knob. Giving up, he raised his fist and knocked as hard as he could, which wasn’t very hard. He heard footsteps from within, and then his aunt was opening the door. At first, she was overjoyed to see her son, but then her expression changed to horror, and then anger when she saw Harry was holding him up. Before she could say anything, Harry heaved Dudley through the door and brought him to a chair. He turned to his aunt.

"He needs chocolate."

Petunia, who had been about to say something, paused and stared at Harry in confusion.

"What?"

"Your son. Needs. Chocolate. Now."

Petunia seemed to be in shock. "But… he’s on a diet."

"Just a piece or two, and he’ll be fine."

With a blank expression, Petunia rummaged through the pantry to find the chocolate that she usually kept hidden from her son. She brought a piece over to him, but looked completely lost as to what to do with it.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just put it in his mouth."

She did, and a moment later, Dudley’s jaws started working. It took him a bit, but eventually, he swallowed. He looked aroundwith a dazed expression.

"Give him another one."

This time, Dudley took the chocolate himself, and when he ate it, some of the colour returned to his face.

That was when Vernon entered the room. He looked at his wife, then Harry, then his son, then back at Harry, his jaw clenched.

"Boy, what did you do to my son?" He whispered.

"I didn’t-" Harry began, but his uncle wasn’t listening. Vernon had turned to Dudley.

"What did he do to you?" He growled, barely containing his rage.

Dudley shook his head. "Wasn’t… Harry…" he mumbled.

Vernon looked like he was having a hard time processing this statement.

"What did you say?" He asked.

"It… it wasn’t Harry." Dudley repeated, his voice a little stronger.

The news seemed to be finally sinking in for Vernon.

"But if it wasn’t Harry, then what happened?"

Dudley shook his head again. "I don’t know… Harry knows…" he looked at Harry. "What did you say it was?"

All eyes were now on Harry, who would much rather be going to bed than explaining anything magical to the Dursleys.

Harry sighed. "There were two dementors."

But that was as far as he got, because Petunia gasped loudly upon hearing his statement.

"Aren’t those the creatures that guard Azkaban prison?" She asked.

Now it was Harry’s turn to be confused. "You’ve… heard of them? You’ve heard of Azkaban?"

Petunia looked mildly embarrassed at this confession of magical knowledge.

"Once or twice, in passing." She muttered.

"Well, for the rest of us here," Harry continued, gesturing at Dudley and Vernon, "dementors are creatures that literally suck the happiness out of you, and also your soul if they get the chance. One almost got Dudley."

Petunia looked completely horrified at this revelation. "But you stopped them?" She whispered.

"Obviously." Harry replied.

"But to do that, you would’ve had to use magic-" Vernon winced at the hated word -"and if you used magic outside of school-"

There was a loud thump against the window. Cautiously, Petunia opened the window and looked at the ground outside. A moment later, she jumped back away from it, and a cross-eyed owl fluttered into the room with a slightly crumpled letter in its beak.

Ignoring his enraged uncle, Harry snatched up the letter and skimmed through it. It wasn’t very interesting at first. Blah, blah, decree for the restriction of underage magic, blah, blah, statute of secrecy…

"There’s no way they can do that."

He read the letter again to see if he’d missed something. He hadn’t.

"Great news for you lot." Harry announced.

"Did they expel you?" Vernon looked hopeful.

"Not only that, but they’re also sending the wizard police to take my wand. I don’t even get a trial."

Before Vernon could make a smug comment, a second owl swooped in and landed on his head. As his uncle yelled and beat away the owl, Harry stooped over and picked up the letter it had dropped.

It read:

> Dear Harry,
> 
> I’m sorry I can’t tell you more right now, but it’s important that you stay where you are. Someone on our side will come for you soon. Dumbledore won’t let them expel you or punish you without a trial. Do not give up your wand, and DO NOT USE ANY MORE MAGIC!
> 
> Sirius

Vernon, who had just finished forcing the owl back out the window, turned to Harry. "What’s that?" He demanded.

"A letter from my godfather." Harry replied. "They didn’t give him a trial either."

Harry’s mind had wandered to Hermione's enchanted parchment. The only thing he wanted more than sleep, was to tell his friends what had happened, and see if they had any information. But before he could start heading to his room, a third owl made its way into the kitchen. Ignoring his uncle's bout of cursing, Harry wearily took the letter from its beak. Skimming through it, Harry surmised that Dumbledore had done his job. He was now suspended until further notice, not expelled, they weren’t coming for his wand, and he had a disciplinary hearing in a week.

"Sorry about that." He said to his uncle. "Turns out I’m not expelled, and I do get a trial. On a brighter note, you won’t be meeting the wizard police today." Taking the letters, Harry brushed past his silent aunt and cousin, and escaped to his room.


End file.
